WoodsMarty, You've been here, lurking, for quite some time.....I see your name on the 'Who's Online' list all of the time, but this is the first time you've broken the silence. I'm glad you finally decided to start posting.....keep it up!

And to the fire. If you go to INTRODUCTIONS and tell us a little about yourself, there are many here that would like to welcome you, too!

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The only chance you got at a education is listenin' to me talk!Augustus McCrae.....Texas Ranger Lonesome Dove, TX

I'm loving this thread, it's fantastically thought provoking. For what a neophyte's 0.02 is worth, I agree that you can't realistically get everything you need into a single altoid sized tin. I like to use them to organize spesific kits in my pack, personally. One for fire, one for small first aid, etc, (I also color code, because I'm a nerd). I like the idea for tea bags or coffee, maybe powdered gatoraide. I think that would pair well with some purification tablets...of course, I think a kit like that in general would be better packed in a a wide mouth steel bottle...at which point you could just boil...hmmm...I dunno. I'll keep running ideas in my head...but great topic, like I said.

I'm learning all the time here on B&B, no matter how old you are or how many years you've been at it, there's always something to learn, some times it's big, other times it's just a little thing that makes your time in the woods just that much better. For example, I have a couple of good sized packs, both are very different from each other, what they do have in common is pockets, good for keeping your gear separated and easier to find, also keeps your pack orderly, late last fall I bought a new Frost River Sojourn Pack to use as a day pack, it's a bucket pack with a divider towards the back, a small hanging pocket on the inside of the pack that's great for holding my first aid kit, there are two slip pockets on the sides, I use one for my laplander saw and small folding shovel, the other holds my GB Mini hatchet. My problem in trying to organize the pack is what to do with the small odd and ends like my SAK Farmer, Mini Mag light, spare reading glasses, sewing kit, and all that other small stuff than normally would have it's own space. I think I may have found the answer to my problem, several of the posts in this thread and in another showed their small Maxped zippered pouches with pockets and loops for holding any number of items, now I'm thinking that two or three of those small bags, each marked in a way to tell what's in them would do the trick to keep those things from floating around my bag or getting lost in the bottom of the pack.

So, to those folks that took the time to show how you use them, Thank You.

I think I may have found the answer to my problem, several of the posts in this thread and in another showed their small Maxped zippered pouches with pockets and loops for holding any number of items, now I'm thinking that two or three of those small bags, each marked in a way to tell what's in them would do the trick to keep those things from floating around my bag or getting lost in the bottom of the pack.

So, to those folks that took the time to show how you use them, Thank You.

My friend Moe... I may have read the above wrong... But.. If they end up "in" your pack, floating around... They do not qualify in the "PSK" category. & no matter whether they can fit into a small tin, or a small pack... If they are not "on your person", they lose the distinction of being a "Personal" Survival kit. They become the, "Where the heck did I put them doggone things?", type items.

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I love being out in the woods! I like this quote from Mors Kochanski - "The more you know, the less you carry". I believe in the same creed, & think "Knowledge & honed skills" are the best things to carry with ya when you're out in the wilds. They're the ultimate "ultralight" gear!

I think I may have found the answer to my problem, several of the posts in this thread and in another showed their small Maxped zippered pouches with pockets and loops for holding any number of items, now I'm thinking that two or three of those small bags, each marked in a way to tell what's in them would do the trick to keep those things from floating around my bag or getting lost in the bottom of the pack.

So, to those folks that took the time to show how you use them, Thank You.

My friend Moe... I may have read the above wrong... But.. If they end up "in" your pack, floating around... They do not qualify in the "PSK" category. & no matter whether they can fit into a small tin, or a small pack... If they are not "on your person", they lose the distinction of being a "Personal" Survival kit. They become the, "Where the heck did I put them doggone things?", type items.

Thanks JB, but it's my thread and I can say anything I want that doesn't trip the bad language filter, that said, you weren't wrong, I'm still the cantankerous old fart who still believes that small "tin" sized PSK's are more a mental exercise in false security than a practical survival tool. But I still think that those small divided pouches are a great place to store all that small stuff that tends to get lost in ones pack.

"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving pretty with a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways in a cloud of smoke, thouroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming, Wow! What a ride!" Hunter S, Thompson

Thanks JB, but it's my thread and I can say anything I want that doesn't trip the bad language filter, that said, you weren't wrong, I'm still the cantankerous old fart who still believes that small "tin" sized PSK's are more a mental exercise in false security than a practical survival tool. But I still think that those small divided pouches are a great place to store all that small stuff that tends to get lost in ones pack.

LOL Moe!

And I am the cantankerous old "younger than you" fart that still believes that small "tin" sized PSKs are more a mental exercise in false security than a practical survival tool.

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I love being out in the woods! I like this quote from Mors Kochanski - "The more you know, the less you carry". I believe in the same creed, & think "Knowledge & honed skills" are the best things to carry with ya when you're out in the wilds. They're the ultimate "ultralight" gear!

Had been away for a little while, and just read thru most of the posts. Thank you for a wonderful read, and definitely learning something new here.

To the original post, I do have a 'small' survival kit on person, for short hikes(usually 5-6 miles) or very casual outdoor outings(for example, taking photos stepping out of my car in a state park). The container is about 2.5 times larger than regular altoids tin kit, and it is just about the minimum size that could still pack something useful inside.

Following some of the advises here on B&B, some of the contents have been changed since then(for example, the space blanket has been replaced by a few 55 gallon drum liners).

Other than really weak in the shelter department(which first line of defense is always proper clothing), this kit tries to address the following:

My logic behind a small kit is the ease of carrying on person at all times, so I know regardless how absent minded I could be, there is at least something on me. I do have larger 'survival' items(such as bigger knife, PLB, etc) and/or kit that I will bring in my backpack, but what happen if I got separated from my pack or it rolls off to somewhere un-retrievable ?